By Judy Coates Perez

painting textilesbrighter options with acrylic inks

For textile artists, when it comes to

painting on fabric, the best alternative

has always been to use textile paint

specifically formulated to keep fabric

soft and pliable. However, one of

the downsides of textile paint is the

viscosity of the paint—use too much

water and it bleeds, use too little water

and the brushstrokes are not smooth.

It is also difficult to create transparent

washes or glaze colors when using

textile paint without also using a clear

base or paint extender.

I recently tried using Daler-Rowney

FW Acrylic Artists’ Inks after a blog

reader sent me a note asking if I had

tried them. She explained that an

illustrator she was working with used

FW Artists’ Inks all the time and really

liked them, and that she had been very

happy with the results when trying

them out on fabric. I had purchased

a couple of bottles over the summer,

but I had never opened them, so I

immediately sat down to try them out.

Up to this point, I had been using

textile paint exclusively for my work,

avoiding acrylic paint at all costs as it

can make fabric stiff and plastic-like,

which is not optimal for quilting or

hand stitching. However, I was both

surprised and impressed by the results

I achieved when working with FW

Artists’ Ink on fabric.

Isn’t it wonderful when you find a product that not only works,

but also solves problems inherent with other products?

M A t e R I A l S

•Cotton sheeting

•Daler-Rowney® FW Acrylic Artists’ Inks™ (These are packaged in 1-oz. glass bottles; they have an eye dropper in the screw-on top. If you like metallic colors, check out the FW Pearlescent Inks.)

•Paintbrushes

•Iron

•Press cloth

•Water

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out of the toolbox

tip

If you plan to wash your textiles, you should always test products first for colorfastness.Directions

Getting startedNote:FW Artists’ Ink colors are

saturated and vibrant full strength

out of the bottle and are easily diluted

with water to create lighter, more

transparent colors.

1. Using the acrylic inks, randomly

paint brushstrokes onto a piece of

cotton sheeting. When I did this,

I was amazed that the ink did not

bleed. Usually a paint medium

with such a thin consistency

soaks into the fibers and spreads

quickly, giving little definition to a

brushstroke.

2. Dilute the inks with water to create

more transparent colors.

3. Continue adding water to the ink

to see how light the color will

get before it bleeds on the fabric.

When I did this, I was amazed: it

didn’t bleed!

Create watercolor effectsIt is so easy to create the look of

watercolor painting with these inks.

I love the way the brushstroke keeps

its definition even when it’s diluted

with water.

1. Using yellow ink, paint

brushstrokes to make a flower; add

a touch of red at the base. Notice

how the red bleeds where the

fabric is wet (on the yellow) and

does not bleed outside onto the

white fabric.

2. Continue to experiment by

painting a sphere. Keep adding

brushstrokes of darker ink to give

dimension to the shape, making

the fabric very wet. When it dries,

it will have a beautiful mottled

texture with just the tiniest

amount of bleeding on the side

where the fabric became saturated.

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Stamping Another nice feature of these inks is

that they work great for stamping.

You can buy empty stamp pads to

use with the ink, or just use a

paintbrush to apply the ink

directly to hand-carved stamps.

Heat settingI recommend heat setting all painted

fabric with a hot iron when you’re

finished painting. Be sure to cover the

fabric with a clean press cloth before

ironing it.

The resultsAfter painting an entire quilt with FW

Artists’ Inks (I did use white and black

textile paint for a little additional

opacity), I am pleased to report the

best part—unlike regular acrylic paint,

FW Artists’ Inks don’t make the fabric

stiff! When the ink is painted full

strength (and layered up), the fabric

is no stiffer than when painted with

transparent-based textile paints. (And

transparent-based textile paints leave

your fabric with the best hand of all

the different types of textile paint.)

I love the saturated color and painterly

look I was able to achieve with these

inks, without the stiffness often

associated with painting fabric. I will

definitely be using them on more

projects in the future.

ResouRces

Daler-Rowney FW Acrylic Artists’ Inks

•store.quiltingdaily.com

Photos by Judy Coates Perez.

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